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Casablanca (1983 TV series)

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Casablanca
GenreWorld War II spy/intrigue
StarringDavid Soul
Hector Elizondo
Ray Liotta
Patrick Horgan
Theme music composerGerald Fried
Peter Matz
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producerDavid L. Wolper
ProducerCharles B. Fitzsimons
Production locationCalifornia
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesDavid L. Wolper Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseApril 10 (1983-04-10) –
September 3, 1983 (1983-09-03)

Casablanca is an American drama series, based on the 1942 film of the same name set in the genre of spying and intrigue during World War II. Five episodes were filmed but, following its NBC premiere on April 10, 1983, and two additional installments on April 17 and 24, it was taken off the air. The two remaining unaired episodes were ultimately scheduled four months later, during summer programming, and shown on August 27 and September 3. The show was the second attempt at a TV series based on the movie; the first was a 1955 show starring Charles McGraw as Rick Blaine, which also was short-lived, lasting only 10 episodes.[1][2][3]

Cast

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Characters

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As in the 1942 feature, which was widely released in 1943 and won the Academy Award for Best Picture in March 1944, the main character is named Rick Blaine and is portrayed in 1983 by David Soul who was born in 1943.[4][5] The role of French police captain Louis Renault, originated by Claude Rains, was assigned to Hector Elizondo, Sydney Greenstreet's black marketeer Ferrari was played by Reuven Bar-Yotam and Sacha the bartender, played in 1942 by Leonid Kinskey, a character actor usually seen in comical portrayals, was taken as a serious role by Ray Liotta.[6]

Sam, Dooley Wilson's iconic piano player, was being interpreted by another veteran character player, Scatman Crothers, while Carl the maître d', created by still another familiar comical personality, "Cuddles" Sakall, returned in the person of latter-day character actor Arthur Malet. Finally, the main villain, Conrad Veidt's Major Strasser, who is fatally shot by Rick at the end of the film, is likewise back, in the portrayal by English actor Patrick Horgan. Strasser is also given an aide, Lieutenant Heinz, played by Kai Wulff.[7][8] The series is described as taking place over a year before the events depicted in the 1942 film.[9][10][11]

Episodes

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No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Who Am I Killing?"Ralph SenenskyJames M. MillerApril 10, 1983 (1983-04-10)
2"The Master Builder's Woman"Robert LewisBob FosterApril 17, 1983 (1983-04-17)
3"Jenny"Mel StuartJulius J. EpsteinApril 24, 1983 (1983-04-24)
4"The Cashier and the Belly Dancer"Ralph SenenskyNelson GiddingAugust 27, 1983 (1983-08-27)
5"Divorce, Casablanca Style"Robert LewisJulius J. EpsteinSeptember 3, 1983 (1983-09-03)

U.S. television ratings

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Season Episodes Start Date End Date Nielsen Rank Nielsen Rating Tied With
1982–83 5 April 10, 1983 September 3, 1983 91[12] N/A N/A

References

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  1. ^ Associated Press. "'CASABLANCA' SET FOR TV" (The New York Times, April 7, 1983)
  2. ^ Hyatt, Wesley. Short-Lived Television Series, 1948–1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops (McFarland, January 6, 2003) ISBN 1476605157
  3. ^ Jane, Ian. "Casablanca: The Complete Series" (DVD Talk, July 1, 2012)
  4. ^ "'Casablanca' Released on DVD" (David Soul Fans)
  5. ^ Isenberg, Noah. We'll Always Have Casablanca: The Life, Legend, and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Movie (W. W. Norton & Company, February 14, 2017) {Includes photograph of David Soul as Rick} ISBN 0393243133
  6. ^ Emily VanDerWerff. "Casablanca: The Complete Series" (A.V. Club, July 4, 2012)
  7. ^ Photographs of Casablanca cast (Pellucidar Notations, August 4, 2013)
  8. ^ Ralph Senensky, who directed the second and the fifth episode of Casablanca, recollects working on the series (Ralph's Trek, January 24, 2010)
  9. ^ Shonk, Michael. Casablanca (1983) (Mystery File, January 25, 2013)
  10. ^ The Week Staff. "10 crazy attempts to continue the Casablanca story" (The Week, November 5, 2012)
  11. ^ Castro, Adam-Troy. "Remake Chronicles: It’s Time To Forgive David Soul’s CASABLANCA" (Adam-Troy Castro, October 21, 2015)
  12. ^ "The TV Ratings Guide: 1982-83 Ratings History -- Soap Bubbles Rise, Several Veterans Part and NBC Renews Poorly Rated Masterpieces". Archived from the original on 2018-03-18. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
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